El Palacio de los Jugos Restaurant Review

: When Poli Bermudez opened the "Palace of Juices" in 1973, it really was just a small fruit stand. Then Bermudez started cooking and selling the country Cuban classics she'd learned from her mother. Today, El Palacio has grown to a mini-empire of four Palacios, and this location isn't the original. But no worries. The concept is identical: the Palacio is a sprawling indoor/outdoor collection of prepared food stalls plus market stands---each under independent management (by various Bermudez family members), but all owned by Poli and her son, Rey Jr. All dishes from all stalls at all four locations are still Poli's recipes. Wander from stall to stall amassing your meal. Don't miss chicharrones (crisp skin, succulent fat and juicy meat) or lechon asado (roast pork) carved from a whole suckling pig before your eyes. Must-have sides include caramelized maduros (sweet ripe fried plantains) and tostones (savory fried unripe plantains, often hard nubs but here crunchy on the outside and soft inside).